People who think Ali would be able to compete with the tall-superheavyweights

Indeed, and that's where the debate becomes interesting. Obviously Ali would be a different fighter in that instance.

Another interesting debate is what does a modern day Ali look like? I'm not just talking about transporting Ali and giving access to new training etc.

 

well its intrinsic that counts, else you'll be comparing robots to ali.

 

Again, that's a different debate. If we are going to compare Ali, we have to take him with how he was, not how he might have been, otherwise we are guessing even more.

However, I do think it would be interesting to know what a modern Ali would look like.

 

its really not. YOu are talking about the individuals not the setup.

 

Ali would struggle in today's division. He'd be outweighed by about 20-30 pounds, and today's fighters are faster, stronger, have longer reaches, and hit harder than fighters in Ali's time.

It's a FACT that athletes get better over time.

 

I agree, athletes do get better, and I love Fury and Joshua equally, but I don't think I could sit here with a straight face and say they'd KO or outbox Ali pre-draft. He'd be too quick, too clever. Lennox Lewis or Vitali might be bad news for Ali though, maybe, but if in these hypothetical matches Ali gets the benefits of modern day nutrition and all that, I'd put my money on Ali, no question.

 

What sort of nutrition is around today that wasn't around back then?

 

Football is different. Barca would never face a Sunday league team in the Champions league finial but the equivalent happens in boxing all the time.

Adam Booth is an expert nutritionist and dietitian along with being a boxing trainer yet he wouldn't come anywhere close to being a better trainer for Ali over Dundee.
Sports science will never train somebody how to box.

 

Bigger maybe but not better.

 

The pinnacle is surely having all the best knowledge, advice and coaching working in tandem, it doesn't have to be a trade off between sport's science and technique.

 

So in what area's do you think Ali required improvements?

 

I'm confused.

Your initial post reads as though Briggs agreed with Wilder.

I'm not disputing sports science. I respect it and it obviously has it's benefits. But it shouldn't be used as automatic evidence to put forward the opinion that a modern guy would beat a fighter from the past.

Instead of analysing the 2 fighters in question, you are automatically favouring the modern guy, based on records that have been broken in other sports. That's wrong.

Boxing is a unique sport.

 

Maybe he could have switched it up a bit now and again, his hair I mean, maybe some dreads, or an afro, perhaps dyed it blue?

 

How many times have you typed out the above over the last few years?

You've been a member on here for a long time now, yet you've learnt absolutely nothing.

If you're not trolling, you should be absolutely ashamed to type out that big pile of horse manure.

 

In terms of sports science and evolution, no, boxing is not unique or separate from this.

I apologise for the confusion, Briggs eluded to the fact that it isn't fair to compare boxers of yesterday to the boxers of today, given how time and fighters have changed. That's why I mentioned it.

Look, boxing skills are boxing skills, but the physical attributes of an elite super heavyweight like Wlad or AJ would play a large part in this fight.

It's interesting how we all acknowledge this among the weight divisions (that's why we have them) but we fail to acknowledge it in the heavyweight division, because it's the only division that doesn't have a weight limit.

Each to their own I guess.